Cron
Cron is a time-based job scheduler in Unix-like operating systems that automates the execution of commands or scripts at specified intervals. It uses a configuration file called a crontab to define scheduled tasks, which run in the background without user intervention. This tool is essential for automating repetitive system maintenance, data processing, and application tasks.
Developers should learn Cron for automating routine tasks such as database backups, log rotation, data synchronization, and periodic API calls in server environments. It is particularly useful in DevOps, system administration, and backend development to ensure reliability and efficiency by reducing manual intervention. Cron is ideal for scheduling jobs that need to run at fixed times, like daily reports or hourly data updates.